


Take A Chance On Me

by HyenaInASportsBra



Category: Star Fox Series
Genre: M/M, OC, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:00:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26661088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HyenaInASportsBra/pseuds/HyenaInASportsBra
Summary: Fox and Wolf team up to fight some pirates and yell at each other!
Relationships: Fox McCloud/Wolf O'Donnell
Comments: 7
Kudos: 39





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> SO it's been like, 2 years since i actually started this fic. It's the sequel to The Mend, and i really hope folks like it. Admittedly, i am less than proud, but there are some good little bits here. Again, please enjoy, and thanks for reading!

“I like the jacket,” Fox complimented, loading another power cell into his pistol. “Purple really suits you.”

“Thanks!” replied Wolf, adjusting the sight on his own firearm. “New boots?” he asked, nodding at the hefty metal-tipped footwear. 

“New legs!” Fox smiled as a sizzling bolt whizzed past his face. In a flash, he peeked around the corner and fired three rapid shots, nailing two pirates before ducking back behind cover. “Slippy worked real hard on ‘em!”

“They look good, pup!” Wolf laughed. He yelped as a laser blast got too close, singing the fur on his arm. He glared at the snickering Fox.

“Gettin’ slow, old man,” Fox teased as a dozen more shots scorched the air, leaving blackened laser marks across the aging metal walls of the space station.

“Heh, I’ll show you slow,” Wolf snarled, whipping around the corner and firing rapidly down the hallway, taking out a handful of pirates in his fury.

The response was fierce. A hail of lasers pounded their position, stranding them on opposite sides of the T-junction at the end of the wide corridor. Both sides were locked in a stalemate, exchanging fire here and there, neither side budging, though the pirates had taken a few losses. However, reinforcements quickly arrived, and both Wolf and Fox were forced behind cover as death scorched the air between them.

“Well, what now, Captain? Got any brilliant ideas to get out of this one?” Fox shouted over the gunfire.

“Quit yer bellyachin’, pup,” Wolf grumbled, reaching into his belt pouch. “I’ve got it all under control,” he said, flipping the switch on the glowing grenade. He whipped around the corner with a piercing howl and hurled the grenade down the hallway.

Twenty minutes ago

Fox crept quietly down the hallway, sticking to the wall, listening as the footsteps faded away from him. Stealth really wasn’t his usual style, but he had little recourse. So far he’d slipped past all the pirates’ defenses, the scant patrols barely paying attention, chalking up any suspicious noises to the creaks and groans of the derelict space station they were using as a makeshift base. By a stroke of luck, he’d been able to access a forgotten terminal and hack in, digging out a map of the station in its decaying database. Downloading it to his communicator, he’d followed the map up to the second level to the barracks, where the pirates were likely to congregate. There he’d hoped to listen in and figure out where they were keeping the payload.

He wondered if his team had figured out that he was gone yet.

He’d been restless. Terribly restless. Work had dried up for the moment, aside from the occasional patrol duty outside one Federation planets or another. Wolf was in the wind. No one had heard from Team Star Wolf in nearly six months. Fox would know, he checked the galactic net every day for some sign of the rival mercenary team.

But there had been nothing. And Fox was restless. 

He was up late when the assignment came through. Slippy and the others were fast asleep, leaving him to review it alone. A corporate lab had been broken into, sensitive technology stolen, and a small but notorious group of pirates was suspected of the crime. Fox had a hunch where they’d been hiding out, a hunch that would prove correct. Within an hour he was zipping through space, on a set course for the old station. There were no sentries, curiously, leaving him to anchor his Arwing stealthily on the station’s surface. Donning space-walk gear, he traversed the hull until he located an unoccupied airlock, and lowered himself inside.

He snuck along the empty corridors, using the little map to guide his way and avoid the odd pirate now and again. Finally, he heard voices coming from down a hallway on the second level, near the barracks. He silently approached, staying behind the corner, listening in carefully.

“Hey, Mick, you still owe me from last night’s card game!”

“Yeah yeah, I’ll get it to you tomorrow when we get paid.”

“Pfft, if we get paid.”

“Yeah that’s about as likely as me joining Star Fox.”

There was a smatter of laughter. Another voice cut in.

“I wouldn’t complain too loud, ya rock-heads, Captain Frost is likely to cut your ears off for insubordination.”

“What, you gonna report us for bitchin’?”

“I might!”

“You’re such a kiss-ass, Drill.”

“Piss off, ya-!”

A door suddenly opened with a bang, and the pirates snapped to attention. Fox dared a quick peak around the corner. A square-shouldered crocodilian stood at the head of the group, a long pistol and saber on his belt, the red-ringed pirate insignia on his leather jacket.

“Attention, maggots! Captain Frost wants everyone pulling double duty. Now that the payload is secure, the captain wants ‘round the clock patrols.” The croc pointed at several crew members with the butt of his pistol. “You lot, you’re on radar duty. None of Nova Corps. Hired goons followed us, and the Cornerians wouldn’t dare venture out this far. But it’s no excuse to slack-!” He emphasized his point by slamming the butt of his pistol into his palm. “I don’t wanna see a single one of you leaning. The rest of you, get to work on maintaining the ship. If you don’t have a wrench in your hand, you got a broom, understand?”

There was a round of “Yes sir’s”.

“Now, as a matter of your pay…”

Fox leaned in close, straining, hanging on to every world, trying to glean the location of the stolen goods, triangle ears perked in their direction. He was so preoccupied that it wasn’t until he felt the muzzle of a gun poke into his cheek that he realized he wasn’t alone.

“Heya pup,” he rasped. “Did ya miss me?”

Fox turned to face him, green eyes burning. “No.”

“Heh heh, liar,” Wolf chuckled, voice a whisper. The rival mercenary had changed a little since Fox last saw him. New clothes, boots, a wicked bladed pistol in his grip. His fur had been groomed recently, and over his left eye was a new black leather patch. 

“What the hell are you doing here, Wolf?”

“I expect the same thing you’re doin’,” Wolf responded. “Chasin’ down some crooks, recovering their ill-gotten gains.”

“You mean you’re doing the same thing they’re doing- stealing experimental technology and selling it to the highest bidder.”

Wolf grinned, teeth gleaming in the dim light of the corridor. “Why, whatever gave you that idea?”

Fox blinked. “Wow. I can’t believe I actually get to say it this time.”

“What-”

“I can’t let you do that, Star Wolf.”

Wolf grit his teeth and glared. “Oh, shut up.”

“Heh.”

“So do we know where the goods are?”

“We? What do you mean ‘we’?”

“Oh, come on, Foxy,” Wolf chided. “We stand a better chance together than apart! Let’s team up on this one, huh?” He smirked, red eye gleaming.

“Fine,” Fox sighed. “No, I haven’t figured out where ‘the goods’ are yet, because you keep yammering in my ear.”

“Well, what a fine detective you’d make, pup.”

“Stop! Calling! Me! Pup!”

“Why don’t you step right up and make me, pup!”

“What the hell?”

They both turned to see a pair of pirates staring at them with incredulous expressions.

“Oops.”

“Sorry, we’ll keep it down.”

Before either of the pirates could move, both pilots drew their pistols and fired.


	2. Chapter 2

The present

Fox covered his ears as the blast went off, rocking the corridor. 

“Come on!” Wolf shouted, not waiting around to see the result as smoke began to fill the corridor. He grabbed Fox by the wrist, boots pounding on the metal floor as they ran through the twisting station hallway. Fox followed, covering their tails with a few stray bolts.

Several turns and hallways later, Wolf halted, glancing around at the intersection. 

“This way,” Fox said, and it was his turn to lead, looking quickly at the map on his communicator. He halted at a vent, giving it a savage kick. The vent cover popped open, and he waved Wolf inside. 

“Ya gotta be kiddin’ me…” he grumbled, ducking as he crawled into the tight space.

“Afraid not,” Fox returned. “Unless you want to stay out there and get fried. Which is fine by me.”

“Screw you, McCloud…” Wolf growled, getting on all fours as Fox replaced the vent cover behind them. “Where the hell am I going? It’s dark in here.”

“Just keep going straight until you get to the end,” Fox instructed. “And crawl faster, your tail is in my face.”

“Not my problem, pup,” Wolf grunted, though he did pick up the pace.

They crawled in silence for a long while before reaching the another vent cover. The air was stale and dusty, and a few points of reddish light glimmered beyond.

“Where the hell are we?” Wolf growled, eye narrowed as he tried to see into the chamber beyond.

“You really like that word, I’ve noticed.”

“It’s a good word. Now where the hell are we?”

“Elevator shaft,” Fox responded. “Can you get the grate or are your old man bones too brittle?”

“For gods’ sake, I’m not that much- shut up!” Wolf snarled, and shouldered the vent cover open, creaking loudly as it swung on rusted hinges.

“Okay, just go forward.”

“Into what, pup? It’s dark, I can’t see a damn thing!” Wolf complained reaching a hand out into darkness, trying to find a handhold.

“Just go, trust me.”

“Go? There’s nowhere to go, it’s just empty space!”

“Jump.”

“What? Are you crazy?” Wolf growled over his shoulder.

“You’ll be just fine-!” Fox reiterated, and shoved Wolf’s rear with both hands.

Wolf cursed, howling as he plunged into dark, drafty emptiness.

Fox turned on his flashlight and peered down the shaft. Two feet or so down, Wolf rubbed his sore tail, blinking up at the bright light.

“You okay?”

“You had a flashlight the whole time!? Why didn’t you say something!”

“Wanted to preserve the battery. Just being smart, y’know.” Fox lowered himself down carefully, light sweeping around the wide, circular shaft.

“Where the hell are we?” Wolf demanded for the third time.

“Elevator shaft,” Fox replied.

“Elevator-!” Wolf said with a start, jumping up. “We can’t hang around here, we’ll be squashed!”

“Relax, it’s busted,” Fox assured him, flashing the light over the long-disused machinery. 

“If you say so,” Wolf spat. “But if we wind up a couple of furry pancakes, I’m gonna have your ass, McCloud.”

“My ass would be the least of your worries, I’d imagine.”

“Shut up,” Wolf grumbled. “So what now?”

Fox gave an exaggerated stretch before taking a seat, crossing his legs. “We wait. Let ‘em think we’ve escaped. The we sneak up and go for ‘the goods’, as you so eloquently put it.”

“Fine,” Wolf huffed, sitting against the opposite wall. 

They sat in silence for a long while, two sets of triangular ears perked and listening. Occasionally the sound of voices or footsteps reached them down in the shaft, but nothing distinct enough to make out. Somewhere liquid dripped down from above, echoing through the dark, stuffy chamber.

Fox broke the silence first.

“Where have you been, Wolf?” he asked, voice quiet, illuminated by the flashlight.

Wolf looked up. “Why you wanna know that, McCloud?”

“Call me curious,” Fox said quietly. “Where were you?”

Wolf blinked. Not for the first time in the past six months, he was once again in the gazing room of the Titanian hospital station, Fox’s deep green eyes staring at him through the dim light.

He looked away quickly, ignoring the feeling in his chest. 

“Nowhere, pup. We weren’t nowhere.”

Fox said nothing, just staring. Wolf stared at nothing, tail twitching now and again. He could feel Fox’s eyes on him. They lapsed into silence for a moment. Wolf broke it this time.

“…what about you?”

Fox shrugged after a moment, regarding Wolf with a neutral expression. “Same old, same old, really. Work dried up. We were making supply runs for military stations and playing escort for merchant vessels between Zoness and Corneria. After the mess on Titania, there just… wasn’t anything going on.”

“Got bored, didn’t ya?” Fox could see Wolf smirking in the dim light. “That’s why you’re runnin’ around playin’ secret agent, isn’t it?”

“I’m here to make sure that technology doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.”

“And the rest of your crew…?”

“I can handle this on my own just fine.” 

“Sure, Foxy,” rumbled Wolf. “Sure ya can.”

“Well, I was handling it pretty well, until someone threw a grenade into my plans.”

“Plans? Ha! What plan? You were sneaking around like a kitty-cat chasing a mouse hoping you’d just stumble across wherever it is they stowed the stuff.”

“I had a plan,” Fox insisted. “In fact, I still do.”

Wolf snorted. “Yeah? What then, pup?”

Fox pointed up at a thin, vertical strip of light roughly twenty feet farther up the shaft. “There.”

Wolf tilted his head to look up. “The doors?”

“Second level. That’s the level with the old labs. They’re easier to secure and probably a lot safer than storing ‘the goods’ anywhere else in this station.” He clipped the flashlight to his shoulder, looking around for a way up. “Willing to bet that’s where they took it.”

“Heh, fair enough!” Wolf chuckled, stepping in front of the other pilot. “Allow me.” Reaching into his belt, he pulled out a smaller pistol, aiming it at the doors. Before Fox could ask what he had against elevator doors, Wolf pulled the trigger with a small pop, firing a small projectile towards the rusting metal walls. A cord followed, zipping through the air as the projectile caught itself against a sturdy pipe.

“Nice equipment,” Fox said, eyeing the grappling hook.

“Thanks,” Wolf smirked. “Your little froggy boy isn’t the only tech guy around.” He tested the line, tugging a few times before hoisting himself up, clambering up wall hand over hand. Fox followed, joining him on the small ledge above. He put an ear to the door, listening. He gave Wolf the thumbs-up, and together they pulled the doors apart, stepping out into the dark hallway.

Fox swept his flashlight around, illuminating a few doorways down the long hallway. It curved around some distance away, a single light blinking somewhere beyond. They listened, hearing nothing.

“After you, junior,” Wolf said with a grin.

“Thanks, grandpa,” Fox replied, and stealthily made his way down the hall, pistol drawn, with Wolf a few feet behind him.

They followed the gentle curve of the hallway for some time before locating the source of the light. A tiny red dot blinked, attached to a camera slowly panning from side to side, its view sweeping the hallway. Beyond were a row of laboratory doors.

Fox signaled to Wolf, who nodded. They waited it out, timing the camera’s movements. At the right second, they quickly slipped past, hugging the wall, sneaking past as quietly as possible. Once they were in the clear, Wolf gave a thumbs-up. 

“Easy-peasy!” he whispered. “No, which one is it?” He asked, motioning towards the laboratory doors. 

Fox shrugged. He tip-toed to the first one and peered inside, only to be greeted with darkness. Shining his flashlight inside revealed an empty room, devoid of anything but a few chairs and a dusty console. He turned to Wolf and shook his head. The next one proved to be as fruitless, Fox’s little flashlight shining on another empty room. 

“Third time’s the charm,” Fox whispered, pointing. Wolf joined him at the window, gazing inside. 

On a long table in the middle of the room was a briefcase, shiny and new amid the dusty lab equipment.

“I get the feeling that’s what we’re looking for,” Wolf smirked.

Fox nodded. “Yeah, it’s subtle, we’re lucky we spotted it.”

“Almost impossible. Amazing luck.”

They both chuckled. 

“Come on, let’s grab it and get the hell out of here.”

“Wait,” Fox halted. “It could trip an alarm. Let me look at it for a minute…”

“No time, just get in there,” Wolf insisted, grabbing the door handle.

“Wolf, stop, just let me-!” Fox growled. “Slow down or we’ll get caught.”

“Relax, silly pup,” Wolf grinned. “We’re not gonna get caught.”


	3. Chapter 3

“Relax.” Fox repeated, half-walking, half-dragged between two pirates, the barrel of a gun stuck in his back. “Silly pup. We’re not gonna get caught.”

“Oh shut up,” Wolf snapped, blood dripping down his lip, his fur and coat singed from a half dozen near-misses by blaster bolt.

They halted at a set of wide double-doors, and one of the pirates punched a code into the keypad. The doors opened to reveal a large, circular observation deck, the stars slowly rotating above the clear dome. Several armed pirates stood at attention on either side of them as they were forced inside, rifles at the ready. A singular figure with snow white fur and a long, fluffed tail stood at the far end, gazing upward, their back turned to the two pilots. 

“We found them, Captain,” the lead pirate reported. “Sneaking around in the labs. I believe you wanted them alive.”

“It’s alright, this is just a minor setback,” Fox murmured to Wolf. “As long as they don’t find my ship, we can get out of here.”

“We found the Arwing anchored near one of the eastern airlocks.”

Fox cursed. “Well, we still have your ship, right?”

Wolf looked at him.

“…And we found the Wolfen next to it.”

Fox blinked. 

The figure turned to face them silently, regarding Fox and Wolf with piercing, icy-blue eyes that seemed to glow dimly. She was missing half her right ear, the scar tissue grown thick and hairless, revealing the steel-blue skin beneath. A heavy blaster swung on one hip, and on the other a wickedly curved hatchet glimmered in the starlight. She was slightly taller than Fox, standing ramrod straight, tail flicking once as she approached them, boots clipping smartly on the metallic floor of the deck.

“Hey, listen – Frost, right? – I’m not really with hi-hurgh,” Fox lurched with a groan as Captain Frost grabbed him by the lapels of his jacket and sharply jabbed her knee directly into his stomach.

“Hey, I’m supposed to do that!” Wolf barked. 

Her only reply was a vicious blow with the back of her hand to his muzzle, sending blood spattering against the nearest pirate’s face. 

“That felt good,” Captain Frost said calmly. “I liked doing that.”

Wolf snarled. “I’m gonna kill you, pup.”

She back-handed him again, sending another spray of blood across the pirate’s face. He cringed, caught between disgust and not daring to move from his position.

“I did not pull your chain, dog; therefore, you do not speak.” The white fox snapped her fingers, and both men were forced to their knees. She glowered at them, blue eyes smoldering. “Thank me for not killing you.”

“Now why in the hell would we do that-!”

“Thanks. Thank you for the not-killing.”

Wolf glared. “You spineless, yellow-!”

“What? She’s just going to hit us again if we don’t.”

“He’s right,” Captain Frost confirmed. “I am going to hit and-or kick you again, very hard.”

Wolf snorted and growled out a “Thanks.”

Frost strode back and forth in front of them, lips curled with contempt. “I figured Corneria would send someone after us; I admit this is not who I expected.” She turned on her heel, halting directly in front of Fox. “Where are the rest of your teams?”

“Waiting on our signal, bucko,” Wolf chuckled.

“He’s right, you’re surrounded. They’re already practically at your door,” Fox said.

“You’re screwed, lady,” rasped Wolf. “So screwed.”

Captain Frost snorted, leaning down. She used the flat of her hatchet to tilt Fox’s chin up until their eyes met.

“Do it.”

He blinked. “What?”

“Do it. Call them. Call your forces down on us.”

“Yeah alright, sure,” Fox dug into his belt with a free hand and tapped his communicator. He waited a moment and tapped it a few more times.

“Well?” 

“Oh, they’re comin’. Just… wait a minute.”

“The hell are you doin’? Call ‘em!” Wolf hissed.

“I’m. Trying.” Fox hissed back.

Wolf sighed.

The tip of the hatchet’s blade found Fox’s nose, and he bit back a yelp.  
“They’re both bluffing. They’re alone… together. For some reason.” She replaced her hatchet and snapped her fingers again. “Throw them in the cells. Separate ones. And for gods’ sake, clean yourself up, lieutenant.”

“Yes, captain…” 

They were both stripped of their equipment and, quite literally, thrown into a cell in a subsection of the lower reaches of the station. Wolf snarled, grabbing at the bars as the door was slammed shut.

“I’m going to kill every last one of ya-!” he barked between the bars.

“Easy, boy,” Fox said. “Save your energy.”

“Shut up,” Wolf huffed, listening as the guards walked away. He paced for a while before slumping down against the wall. “I don’t suppose you have a genius plan for getting out of this.”

“Not yet,” Fox replied. “How about you? Any bright ideas, Methuselah?”

Wolf snorted, glaring at the opposite wall. “No.”

“Well then, I guess we wait.”

“Yeah, til they come back and put a bolt in our heads.”

“Yeah maybe… or…” Fox hinted.

“Or what?”

“Or… they’re keeping us alive. On purpose.”

“’On purpose’?”

“For ransom, maybe.”

Wolf guffawed. “That’s the dumbest idea anyone could possibly have.”

“You’re not wrong,” Fox agreed. “I seriously doubt they could handle both of our teams at the same time.”

“Yeah, but wouldn’t that require a little… coordination between the two?”

Fox rubbed the bridge of his nose with a sigh. “Yeah, you’re right. Can you imagine our teams joining forces to come rescue us?”

“Ha! Now that’s funny,” Wolf chuckled. “Leon and that bird-brained teammate of yours actually working together?”

“That would be hilarious.” Fox giggled. “They’d kill each other before they got anywhere near us.”

“Goddamn right they would.”

“Besides you, Star Wolf only has about one brain cell between them,” Fox said, getting a quick dig into his rival.

“Her name is Krystal and we stole her from you!” Wolf howled.

They both laughed, the dark, empty row of cells echoing with the sound. 

“But really… what now, pup?”

Fox sighed. “Dunno. We’ll think of something.” He scratched an ear, staring at the floor.

“I’m sure your crew is already on their way to save your bacon, anyhow,” Wolf said, leaning back against the wall. 

“Maybe… maybe not.”

Wolf sat up. “You… told them where you were going, didn’t ya?”

Fox was silent.

“You just left? Without telling them anything!?”

“I figured I could handle it just fine.”

“Aw, pup,” Wolf shook his head. “This ain’t like you at all.”

“Cut me the false sympathy, Wolf,” Fox spat. “I really don’t need it right now.”

“What was it, McCloud? Couldn’t take the boredom? Sick of your team? I mean, can’t blame you for that one, cooped up with Chicken Wings Lombardi, the old man, and that tadpole all the time-,”

“Shut up,” Fox growled.

“Were ya just sick of playing the good boy? Huh? So you cut your team loose and headed off on a suicide mission? Do you really have that much of a death wish, pup?”

“No! It’s not like that!” Fox shook his head. “Stop talking!”

“…heh, fine,” Wolf conceded, and settled down against the wall again. “Whatever you say, Foxy.”

They lapsed into a long, stuffy silence.

“Sorry,” Fox said finally. “No, I don’t hate my team. I love them. I just… needed to get away. Accomplish something without them.”

Wolf shrugged. “I get it. I leave Star Wolf plenty. Hardly bother telling them, either. They do just fine on their own.”

“I’m not…” Fox started. “I’m not like you. Okay?”

“Sure, pup,” Wolf shrugged. “Sure.”


	4. Chapter 4

Fox paced in the cell. He reached for his belt, forgetting again that they had stripped him of his equipment. 

He held the bars of his cell, calling out down the hall.

“Guard… guard! Hey, guard!”

“What’re you doing, McCloud?” rasped Wolf. 

“Guard!” Fox called again, ignoring him. After a moment, an armed pirate stomped down the hall, a pistol in his hand and a sneer on his reptile face. 

“The hell you want, mammal?”

“I’m thirsty. Got any water? Sports drink? I’ll take a tea if you’ve got it, I’m not picky.”

The guard snorted. “I’ll show you picky-!” He turned his pistol around and struck at Fox’s hands gripping the bars, smacking them hard with the butt. Fox yelped, shaking his bruised fingers as the guard walked away with a merciless laugh. 

“Heh, nice try, up.”

“Yeah, he didn’t have any keys on him.”

“Better luck next time,” Wolf said with a sigh, lying on the floor of his cell. “Gonna need a better plan than that.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Fox sighed and settled back down against the wall. He watched as Wolf idly flipped a coin between his clawed fingers.

“Six months.”

“What?” Wolf’s ears perked, and he almost dropped the coin. 

“Six months. You were gone for six months. Not a word, not a sign, not a single blip on the net. The most anyone saw of Star Wolf was a single sighting of a Wolfen flying around in Venomian space. After that… nothing. Wolf, really- where were you?

Wolf was silent for a long moment.

“Why d’you care, pup?”

“…I don’t know.”

Wolf stared at him and shrugged.

“We were out on the edge of the system. Right up to the far side of the galaxy. Out where nobody wants to go. No laws, no Cornerians. Nothing but rocks and the stars and whatever bothers to live out there.” Wolf stared back at Fox. “Laying real low. Being laid up in a hospital for that long brought too much attention, neutral space or not. We were looking into settin’ up a new base… and maybe getting out of the Lylat system.”

“…really?”

Wolf nodded. “Yeah. Really.”

“Why?”

Wolf rubbed the back of his neck. 

“Got our reasons,” Wolf said, rolling the coin in his paw. “System ain’t what it was these last couple years… times are changing. Gettin’ harder out there to do what we do, ace.” He shifted his gaze to look at the other pilot. “You’re gonna feel it one day, too.”

Fox cocked an eyebrow. “You mean the galaxy becomes a safer place to live? Doesn’t sound so bad to me.”

“Yeah?” Wolf smirked. “Think you’re bored now?” He suddenly tossed the coin, bouncing it hard against the pavement.

Fox caught it in a neat, quick movement. “You could always find something else to do.” He tossed the coin back, the sharp ping resounding off the walls of the cell.

Wolf caught the coin and laughed. “Funniest thing I’ve heard all day, pup.” He tossed the coin again.

Fox snatched the coin out of the air. “Why? Don’t you have an imagination? You can’t think of anything else besides mercenary work with your skill set?” He bounced the coin off the floor.

“Why would I?” Wolf said simply. He reached out to grasp the coin and missed. “Damnit.”

“Heh.” Fox paused. “…so, how’s Krystal?”

“Good. Grew her hair out, got a nice braid going on. Looks real good.”

“Ah, that’s good. Glad to hear it.”

Wolf just nodded, rolling the coin across the floor and watching it spin to a halt.

“…Wolf?”

“Yeah?”

“How does your eyepatch stay on like that? Like, I don’t see a strap or anything.”

“Heh heh! Magnets!” Wolf explained, tapping his eye patch. “There’s a little shrapnel from the ol’ robot eye left in there. Makes things convenient.”

“Oh! Neat...”


	5. Chapter 5

“I really hate to disagree with you, but they really peaked with The Album and Arrival, the rest really pales in comparison.”

“What? How can you possibly discount their self-titled album? The opening track is a classic, you just can’t beat it!”

“Yeah, sure, it’s good, but no one remembers anything else from that album for a reason.”

“Harsh words, old man. No love for Super Trouper?”

“Not here, pup. I could honestly take or leave that song. Lay All Your Love On Me is easily in my top five, though.”

“I guess so. Still though… dropping the needle on the first track? Solid gold.”

“You’re not wrong, but you just can’t beat Dancing Queen!”

“I dunno, Wolf,” Fox started.

“You are the dancing queen, young and sweet, only seventeeeeeeen!” Wolf broke in.

“Oh, you’re committed,” Fox chuckled.

“Feel the beat on the taboriiiiiine,” Wolf sang.

“Oh yeah!” Fox joined in.

“You can dance, you can ji-hiiive!”

“Having the time of your liiiife!” They sang in unison, volume increasing.

“Ooooh, see that giiiirl, watch that sceeeeeene, diggin’ the dancing queeeeeeeen!” They sang at the top of their lungs, filling the metal hallways with song.

The guard stomped down the hall amid their howling voices, snarling as he raised his gun, sticking the barrel between the bars.

“If you two don’t shut the f-!”

Wolf moved first. Quick as lightning, he grabbed the gun, shoving it down, grabbing the guard’s arm in a smooth motion. Fox was a split second behind, gripping the guard’s other arm and reaching behind his head. With swift and merciless force, he slammed the reptilian head straight into the metal bars, and with a grunt, the guard fell into a heap.

“Not bad, pup, now stand back.” Wolf hefted the rifle and aimed at the lock, firing a few sizzling bolts into the mechanism. With a shower of sparks and a puff of smoke, the lock gave, and with a hard kick, the door swing open.

Fox waved toward the cell door with a grin. “Age before beauty.”

Wolf sighed. 

Together they hauled the unconscious guard into another cell and locked the door after stripping him of his access keys. 

They raced down the halls, took a sharp turn, and slipped into the stairwell. They raced up the stairs two at a time, reaching the next floor. They paused, listening at the door before swiping the stolen key cards, and quickly make their way inside. They moved quickly and quietly as possible, halting as they rounded the corner, the sound of hard footsteps approaching. 

They looked to each other and nodded once. They waited.

Fox was quick, slamming one hard into the wall as they came around the corner, while Wolf lashed out with the butt of the rifle, slamming it into a pirate’s head. The pirate fell into a crumbled heap as Fox dispatched his opponent, tossing him to the floor next to the other.

“Nice moves, pup!” Wolf complimented.

“Thanks, I’ve been practicing,” Fox replied. “Not bad yourself.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Wolf waved him off. “C’mon, enough lollygagging, let’s find our crap and get out.”

“Not without that briefcase.”

“Fine, but it’s your funeral if we don’t make it out of here!”

They rushed down the hall, following Fox’s map.

They suddenly halted as they nearly stumbled into another pirate as she came from around the corner. Wolf raised the rifle with a deep growl, baring his pearly fangs.

“Wait!” The pirate exclaimed, putting down her weapon. She held up her hands as Wolf aimed the rifle dead at her. She lifted off her helmet and tossed it aside.

Their eyes went wide. “Well, I’ll be damned.”

“You…!”

“Okay, don’t kill me, I’ll show you where all your stuff is! Just… I’m sorry!”

Wolf and Fox stared agog. There was a face both recognized from the bounty post they had responded to nearly a year ago. A short hyena, long hair dyed hot pink, with a thin scar running across one large ear. They’d encountered her once before, many miles above the sands of Titania, just before they were both nearly killed.

“You’re… what?” Wolf snarled.

“I said I’m sorry! I honestly didn’t mean to... almost kill you. I don’t even want to be a pirate, I’m just hard up for work right now,” she tossed her rifle down along with her helmet. “I got involved with the wrong people. I’m not a bad person, I swear! I just… made a bad decision. And now I’m stuck here with these assholes. I didn’t even know they were pirates until the ship took off, I swear!”

“Well that’s… unfortunate,” Fox said.

“Yeah, right,” Wolf growled, keeping the hyena in his sights. “I was almost space-junk because of you! I outta blast you out of the airlock right now!” 

“Wolf, wait,” Fox interjected. “She said she knows where our stuff is.” He put his hand on the rifle, steering it away from the hyena. “Crocuta, right? Joona? If you’re telling us the truth, then get us our gear and we can help you get out of here.”

“Oh, I know the way out, I’ll be alright,” said Joona. “I just wanted to make it up to you two.”

Wolf snorted. “Why?” he asked, suspicious.

“I told you, I’m not a pirate,” she insisted.

“If you’re not a pirate,” growled Wolf. “Then how did you get a bounty on your head.”

“I told you- I got involved with the wrong people.”

“Okay, we believe you,” Fox said quickly. “Show us the way.”

She waved them down the hall, breaking into a brisk jog. “Come on!”

They glanced at each other and followed, running down the twisting, creaking halls and empty rooms of the abandoned space station. 

“They’ve already raised the alarms,” Joona said over her shoulder. “The whole station is looking for you.”

“Then let’s get a move on,” Wolf huffed, keeping the rifle’s safety off.

Joona halted them at a nondescript storage room and ushered them inside, shutting the door and listening. She pointed at a large chest in the middle of the floor amid other various supplies. “There.”

Wolf kicked the lid open. “Fantastic.”

They quickly strapped their gear on, and Fox flipped open his communicator. 

“We’re a few floors down from the labs,” He said quickly, looking over the map. “Can you get us up there?”

“Hang on,” Wolf interrupted. “Got a better idea. “Does this place have a central control?”

“Yeah… why?”

“Just get us there.”

Joona nodded and opened the door a crack, peeking briefly before waving them on. Fully equipped, the trio headed down the corridor following Joona’s direction. They reached the end of the hall where Fox and Wolf turned, headed for the stairs.

“Uh,” Joona interjected. “We can probably take the elevator. I don’t think it’ll be guarded.”

“Ah so… it works, then,” Fox asked.

“Yeah…?”

Wolf glared at Fox. Fox just shrugged.

They took the elevator. They rose for a long, awkward moment before the doors opened, revealing an empty hallway. The trio made their way down the twisted corridor until they arrived at a set of doors set in the dead center of the station. They paused, detecting voices on the other side. 

Wolf pointed to Joona and motioned for her to go first. The hyena nodded nervously and stepped inside.

“What, what do you want? Wait, where’s your helmet, newbie?”

“Uhm… I think I left it in the bathroom?”

Wolf and Fox burst into the room, guns raised.

“Hands up, maggots!” Wolf shouted, pointing his pistol at a pirate.

“…’maggots’?” Fox said quietly.

“What? You got a problem with that?”

“I mean, seems pretty harsh.”

“They’re pirates! They get called things ten times worse before breakfast!” Wolf shouted.

“I mean, he’s right,” said the pirate on the left, his hands raised.

“Yeah, verbal abuse is kind of part of the job.”

“It’s pretty awful,” agreed the other pirate. 

“I really shouldn’t have taken this job,” muttered Joona. 

“Well, there’s plenty of opportunities out there, I’m sure,” Fox said.

“It’s long past time I evaluated my career choices,” the first pirate stated.  
“Good plan!” Fox nodded.

“SHUT! UP!” Wolf snarled in annoyance. “We don’t have time for this, just get their guns!”

“Okay, okay, mister shouty-pants…”

Fox disarmed the two pirates as Wolf busied himself on the console, rapidly punching buttons.

“What are you doing?” Fox asked, eyes narrowed.

“You weren’t the only one to do their homework, pup,” Wolf muttered. “Don’t you worry your pretty little head about it,” he said a little louder. 

Fox flicked his ears suspiciously. He opened the door, waving Joona and the pirates out. “Good luck out there. And thanks.”

“You too!” Joona waved back at him as the three of them disappeared around the corner.

“Alright,” Wolf said, turning to Fox with a smug look. “Let’s get that briefcase.”

The pair snuck out of the control room as an alarm blared through the station, ringing down the hallways and corridors.

“Guess they bothered to check up on us.”

“Ha! Took ‘em long enough!”

“Terrible service around here.”

“No kiddin’,” Wolf nudged the other mercenary. “Let’s get goin!”

They sped down the hall towards the stairs, keeping their eyes peeled and guns ready. Taking the stairs two at a time, they made their way towards the lab level, boots pounding the hard metal steps. They reached the door moments later, and Fox paused.

“They’ll be all over the place looking for us,” Fox said as the opened the door. “So the lab shouldn’t have too many-.”

Six hot bolts of death struck against the wall and door before he slammed it shut again.

“Okay, so ignore what I said…”

Wolf rolled his eye. “Outta my way, Foxy,” Wolf growled, kicking open the door and firing rapidly down the hall at the waiting guards with a bloody howl. Fox dropped to a knee and fired his pistol alongside him. 

The firefight didn’t last long, only leaving both of them with a few singes. The remaining pirates that weren’t corpses fled from the smoke-filled hallway. Wolf waited a moment before waving them on, and together they wound their way through the laboratory complex, searching each room for the briefcase. Here and there pirates fired potshots, keeping them on their guard. 

“Here!” Fox called, spotting the briefcase through the window. “Cover me!”

Wolf kept up a steady hail of bolts as Fox blasted the door lock and put his shoulder into it, breaking it down with a loud crack. He grabbed the briefcase and the two dashed off toward the stairs. 

“So where to now, pup?”

“We have to get to docks,” Fox replied, looking at the map on his communicator. “That’s where they’ll be keeping our ships.”

“Right,” Wolf nodded. “Lead the way, ace!”

More hallways later, the pair made their way to the lower reaches of the station, taking out pirates as they came, running and gunning as fast as they could. Wolf urged them on hard, throwing caution to the wind. 

“Boy,” Fox huffed, panting. “I’ll be glad to never see another hallway as long as I live.”

“Yeah, no kiddin’,” Wolf agreed. 

“Leaving us so soon?” Boomed a voice ahead of them. From around the corner, a group of pirates filled the hallway, guns and swords at the ready. Captain Frost emerged from behind them, hatchet in hand, eyes burning. “But we were just starting to get acquainted.”

“Lousy hospitality if you ask me,” Wolf spat.

“Yeah, we’re definitely leaving a one-star review,” Fox nodded.

“Worst bed and breakfast I’ve ever seen,” Wolf continued. “There wasn’t a bed or a breakfast!”

“Disgraceful,” Fox concluded.

Frost snarled. “Do you two ever just shut the hell up?”

Fox opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by another voice. This one was artificial, issuing from the speakers embedded at intervals along the corridor.

[Core containment over-ridden. Full meltdown of central power units imminent. Total evacuation recommended.]

“What?” Frost hissed, eyes wide. “What is happening?”

[Estimated time of complete meltdown: Three minutes and thirty-five seconds. Have a nice day.]


	6. Chapter 6

Both the pirates and Fox stared at the speakers as music followed, the opening notes to a familiar song pouring out into the hallway. 

“NOW, PUP!” Wolf hollered, and opened fire on the distracted pirates.

Fox acted quickly, doing the same, and soon the corridor was filled with sizzling bolts of death as the lyrics kicked in at a near-deafening volume. 

_I’ve been cheated by you since I don’t know when~_

_So I made up my mind, it must come to an end~_

Frost snarled, launching herself directly at Wolf, who howled in response, rushing forward with his bladed pistol drawn. They clashed in the middle, a flurry of swipes, punches, and kicks.

Fox hurled the briefcase hard, slamming it into a pirate’s face before taking Wolf’s que and rushing them with a shout, kicking one in the stomach and sweeping the other’s legs.

_Look at me now, will I ever learn~_

_I don’t know how, but I suddenly lose control~_

Wolf was a flurry of punches and claw-swipes, ripping at Frost as the hatchet slashed back and forth. Spatters of blood flecked across the steel floor as weapons found their marks. 

_There’s a fire within my soul~_

Fox grabbed a pirate by the shoulders and flung him to the ground, barely ducking in time as another fired a bolt just over his head. He swept low, popping up behind the pirate in a flash and grabbing his pistol hand from behind.

_Just one look and I can hear a bell ring~_

_One more look and I forget everything~_

Wolf bit down, hard, tasting the warm copper of blood as his teeth sank into Frost’s arm. He was rewarded with a hard punch to his nose, and he let go with a bloodied snarl. 

_Mama mia~_

_Here I go again~_

_My my, how can I resist you~_

“Nice pick, Wolf!” Fox shouted, still using the pirate to fire at a squadron of their teammates running down the hall. “I just wish you’d gone with something a little longer!”

“Fine!” Wolf growled back, slamming his fist into Frost’s ribcage. “Next time you can pick our song!”

_Mama mia, does it show again~_

_My my, just how much I’ve missed you~_

Fox dispatched another few pirates, firing both pistols rapidly. “This is a lot of fun and everything, but we gotta get going, old man!”

Wolf howled, locking arms with Frost as the arctic fox attempted to push the hatchet blade into his good eye. “I’m just waiting on you, ace!”

Fox let loose a hail of covering fire on the pirates before turning quickly and firing a single bolt into Frost’s leg. She screeched, her claws digging into Wolf’s arms as her leg crumpled. Wolf grabbed her by the shoulders, summoning every ounce of strength and hurled her against a heavy pipe connecting the ceiling to the floor. She fell in a heap, unmoving.

“Come on, let’s move!”

Fox grabbed the briefcase and the pair sped down the hallway as Wolf fired his pistol behind them. 

“We’re not gonna make it to our ships! There’s no time!”

“Then where are we going?!”

“To the escape pods!” Fox glanced at his communicator. “This way!”

They made their way at a break-neck pace to the escape pod bay, dodging fleeing pirates as they ran. A robotic voices broke through the song blaring over the intercoms.

[Corridors now closing for containment purposes. Please clear the area.]

As Fox and Wolf looked behind them, heavy steel doors began to lower, as did the ones ahead of them.

“Double time it, ace!” 

They made a mad dash, three doors away, two doors, one door. With hardly a foot of space left, they dove, sliding across the grimy steel floor.

“Ha! Made it!” Wolf barked.

There was a sick metallic crunch, and Fox yelped. Wolf whipped around to see the combat pilot’s ankle caught under the door. A warning blared, red light flashing as the multi-ton steel door had trouble closing. Fox touched to the side of his knee, the now-useless prosthetic leg popped free, pulverized beneath the safety door.

“Hang on, pup!” Wolf knelt and with a grunt of effort, lifted the smaller pilot up into a fireman’s carry, and made his way down the hall to the pod bay. “Just point the way!”

Fox navigated him through a few more twisting halls before reaching the end, the pod bay door shooting open as they approached. The station rumbled and shook, nearly throwing them off balance. A few pirates rushed past them, ignoring them, jumping into the tiny pods as quickly as they could.

Pushing a few buttons, Fox popped the hatch on a pod and turned to Wolf.

“Come on,” he said, waving towards the open hatch.

“Not this time, pup,” Wolf said, voice low.

“What?” Fox stared at him.

“You been a big help, but it’s time we broke this off- for now,” Wolf continued, eye gleaming.

“Wha-“

Without warning, Wolf seized the shorter pilot by the lapels and brought their lips together, planting a firm kiss on Fox’s muzzle. Fox, stunned and breathless, leaned against Wolf, the sirens of the station ringing in his ears.

Just as suddenly, Wolf broke the kiss. With a neat, well-aimed kick, he knocked Fox into the escape pod. Fox landed in a heap, head still spinning. His ears perked at the sound of a closing hatch, and a familiar, rasping cackle.

“Thanks again, McCloud! Seeya ‘round!” 

Through the tiny window of the escape pod, Fox watched as Wolf held up the briefcase, his sharp teeth glimmering in a triumphant grin.

“Wolf!” Fox shouted, eyes wide. He tried the hatch lever, to no avail. It had locked itself, and Wolf on the other side. He pounded on the window in vain. “Wolf!!”

A red light flashed, and a loud pop announced the pod had begun its launch. Wolf grew smaller and smaller as the pod sped down the tube, barreling towards space.

In a few seconds, the pod was gliding hard and fast away from the space station as an explosion off its port side rocked the ancient structure. Hunks of metal and debris were blasted into space as the station was ripped apart from the inside. As Fox watched, a large ship dropped from the stations lower hangars, desperately trying to escape the destruction. Too late, its hull was torn asunder the hangar itself was launched away from the disintegrating station and smashed into the pirates’ ship. It drifted away deeper into uncharted space as Fox watched staring open-mouthed through the tiny pod window. 

A familiar glint caught his eye. Speeding expertly through the spreading wreckage was a single fighter, its red-and-grey hull sending instinctive alarm bells ringing through him. It grew closer, confirming it: a Wolfen, Leon’s Wolfen, was making its way through the debris field and out into space. 

Fox stared in disbelief as he saw it: a tiny purple-clad figure clinging to Leon’s wing. Was it just his imagination, or was the figure waving at him?

It didn’t matter. In a few minutes, the Wolfen had disappeared into the blackness of empty space, leaving Fox hurtling aimlessly amid shredded steel rapidly spreading outward from what was left of the ruined space station.

He slumped to the floor, trying to process what had just happened. He flipped open his communicator, and noticed it was beeping normally again. His signal was being broadcast to his team mates. In a matter of hours, they would pick him up, and he would owe them a very lengthy explanation.

He sighed, sitting against the wall of the pod, and absently rubbed at his lips.


End file.
